The SummerTree
Institute's principal programs are tied to our objective of connecting
people with our long and rich heritage from the land and the sea.

Water-Wise Landscaping is an informative and inspiring program designed to help you through each step in achieving a water-wise landscape in your own yard. The SummerTree Institute offers workshops, lectures, and DVDs to guide you through the whole process. If we learn which native and “nearly native” plants are star performers in our yard designs, we contribute to the local sustainability of our community, our wildlife and our environment, as well as minimizing water use around the home.

The Covington Park Tree Conservation Program is a regional effort to protect and conserve habitat for migrant, breeding, and resident birds of Morongo Valley’s Covington Park, included in one of the United States’ Important Bird Areas. The goal of this program is to restore, conserve, and retain valuable trees in this park for birds and human visitors from around the globe, and to educate the public and civic leaders about the importance -- and enjoyment -- of protecting these natural treasures.

Saving The Ancients is focused on the land, and explores the surprising ages and incredible benefits of native plants in California and the Southwest. This program encourages people to transform their concern about the effects of increased development in their region into positive and rewarding actions. Find out how you can help save and utilize intriguing native plants in your area that are decades, centuries, and even a thousand years old.

Discovering the Ancients is an exciting educational program that includes new curriculum and field tools developed by The SummerTree Institute to identify, measure, and estimate the ages of centuries-old native desert plants. Student participants in this program gather field measurements from ancient native plants, including their location, size, height, and estimated age, and contribute genuine data to the scientific community while learning how long-lived desert plants grow and survive in arid climates.

SummerTree
Expeditions is focused on the marine and coastal
environments, and offers the opportunity for you to discover
the wondrous beauty
and magic of the ocean, from whales and dolphins, to remote,
pristine lagoons and beaches. See how you can join these adventures.

Fire Recovery Workshop

The SummerTree Institute held a Fire Recovery Workshop for the victims of the Sawtooth fire in and around Pioneertown, California, a week after the fire in July 2006. The goal of the workshop was to present victims with appropriate actions to enhance restoration, instill hope about natural recovery of the Mojave Desert landscape, and help them better prepare their homes against future fires. To download and print your own copy of the handouts produced for the workshop, click on the title of the desired subject.